Hi everyone,

We’re a group of friends coming together to support someone incredibly special to us—Viv.

As many of you know, Viv is currently facing one of the toughest battles of her life: a fight against cancer. (She shared her story below.)

Viv is the kind of person who lights up every room she walks into. Her kindness, strength, and sense of humor have touched so many of us, and now it’s our turn to be there for her.

We’ve created this GoFundMe to help ease the financial burden of medical treatments, travel costs, and other related expenses so Viv can focus on what matters most—healing. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a meaningful difference.

Please consider donating and sharing this page. Let’s rally around Viv with love, strength, and support.

With gratitude,

Viv's Red Cross Family

You’ve got cancer. 3 little words that have been uttered many times to many people except now…they are being said to me. I knew I was in trouble when I heard the clicking as the sono technician started measuring something. “Wait here and don’t get dressed. I’m going to get the doctor!” she said. Maybe it was a shadow? Maybe they’d tell me to come back in 6 months? I stared at the monitor and saw a menacing, black, wonky shaped blob that looked like an octopus with tentacles. When the radiologist walked through the door looking like she had lost her best friend, I knew in my heart I was going to have a Very Bad Day.

After multiple tests and a lot of poking and prodding, the news was confirmed. I have Stage 2 breast cancer. They found a 2.4 cm tumor in my left breast. And just for good measure there was a 5 mm bonus bump. I have (IDC) invasive ductal carcinoma, ER+, PR+, HER2 Negative breast cancer which apparently is the most common type . Will I survive? Sure. But getting through treatment will be long, painful and I suspect, exhausting. Over the coming months, I will undergo chemotherapy, radiation and then 5 years of hormone therapy along with countless trips to doctor appointments and more tests.

I am currently recuperating from a successful partial mastectomy that was performed on June 9th. The pain is finally subsiding from my incisions and I’m slowly getting my strength back. A cancer diagnosis really messes with your head and throws your entire world upside down. But I’ve had the most amazing support system helping me cope with the stress, turmoil and broad spectrum of emotions that come with realizing that you now have to face an incredibly difficult health challenge: Shock, Disbelief, Fear, Anxiety, Sadness, Confusion and Uncertainty have all visited me these past few weeks.

But now for the good: I am not alone. I am loved. I have my faith in God. I’m not sure why He decided that cancer was going to be part of my journey but I do know that He will give me the strength to get through it and maybe I will end up helping someone else through my experience. You know your family is your family and your friends are your friends, but sometimes friends become like family. This is the case with my incredible Red Cross friends who insisted (whether I agreed or not) on putting together this Go Fund Me page. After all is said and done, it will be nearly a year of active treatment (barring any complications) which will make even part time employment impossible.

I’ve never had breast cancer before. I’m learning as I go. After the torrent of tears dried up, I turned my focus on what I needed to do to keep moving forward. I’m told fake brave counts as well! Dr. Google can be helpful and petrifying all at once. I’ve been consulting him in doses and relying more on my care team plus close friends who have engaged in battle before me. They have been counseling me in what I need and my phone has been exploding with offers of help. But what does help look like?

My goal is to remain as healthy and as active as I can these next several months, while grappling with the scary and potential side effects of my treatment. Hormone therapy will last for 5 years after that. Monies raised will basically go towards medical and travel related expenses as well as nutritional support and health/wellness essentials. Are cloud socks really a necessity during chemo? I’m told they are! What about temporary eyebrow tattoos? Oh yeah, I’m not just going to lose the hair on my head but my eyebrows and lashes as well. Sigh.

Some other considerations that would be helpful are having housecleaning help every once in a while and not having to cook every day. And because chemo and radiation will wreak havoc on my immune system, a portion of monies raised will go towards the biggest ticket item on the wish list, which is a home treadmill. Avoiding a germ filled gym and being able to walk safely at home would be an enormous blessing!

I wanted to lend my own voice to this GoFundMe page because it was important to me to convey my deepest appreciation for all the love and offers of support I’ve already received thus far. Writing this wasn’t easy. It’s been a humbling and overwhelming experience as I’m learning how to let people take care of me and remind me that I don’t have to walk it alone. Compassionate and thoughtful help has come from the most expected and unexpected places. I can’t tell you how much that has touched my heart. I struggle to accept help and even more so when it comes to monetary support. But my wise, dearly departed friend Myron Blumenfeld taught me something about fundraising that I will never forget. He said, “Vivian, you’re not asking for money. You’re giving someone an opportunity to do something meaningful.” While this may be so, I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to contribute. We all have a lot going on called life. I already know you care….to someone like me….that’s worth millions.

With deep gratitude,

Viv XO